Cooling bed



Sept. 7, 1943. E. w. MIKAELsoN COOLING BED Filed Jan. 29, 1942 PatentedSept. 7, 1943 ,UNITED-V STAT-E A "ff v 2,329,072

- COOLING BED AErik W. -Mikaelson, Easton, Pa.,y ,assignor to TreadwellEngineering Company, Easton, Pa., a' corporation of Pennsylvania vApplication Januaryfzsi, 1942, Vserial No. 423,779

' zlclaims. (c1. fad-42) The present invention relates to cooling bedsand more particularly to cooling beds of thetype 'commonly used in oraround steel plants, for receiving freshly rolled and highly heatedsteel products and supporting such products during a cooling period. Acooling bed ofthe general type contemplated herein v'is Ausuallypositioned in the general vicinity of a rail or plate mill, or adjacentthe discharge end of any mill from which products are. discharged inhighly heated condition and, in

the usual case, comprises a pluralitylof support- Likewiseit ispreferred to construct and Asupport the article-supporting' members in'such fmanner that they may be operated to advance the Work slowly overthe surface of the cooling bed, the speed. of movement being soregulated that a highly heated article received on the bed at one pointis, when it reaches the discharge end of the bed, cooled to a sufficientdegree to permit its immediate processing by other means. Naturally, theparts of the cooling bed which are directly engaged by the highly heatedWork pieces themselves become highly heated in the continued operationof the bed for any substantial length of time. Where the work-supportingmembers are of the movable type and mechanism must be provided foreffecting the movement of such members itV is to be desired that suchoperating mechanism be protected from excessive heating and it is theprincipal purpose of the present invention -to provide a cooling bed inwhich the work-supporting members are movable, member actuating meansbeing provided, and which bed is provided with heat shielding meanscontinuously interposed between the work and the actuating means for thework-supporting members, thus preventing overheating of the actuatingmeans and interference with its functioning.

The figure shows an elevation partly in section of the cooling bed.

The invention relates particularly to a cooling bed of the type in whichthe work-supporting elements are circular disk-like members, setsof suchmembers being mounted upon spaced parallel shafts, respectively, and theseries of parallel shafts in turn being supported in bearings mountedupon pedestals. In this instance each shaft comprises not only meansfoi` actuating workengaging members, but likewise constitutes means forsupporting such members and hence it is highly desirable that the shaftupon which the members are mounted be shielded against excessive heatywhich might result in its distortion. In the accompanying drawingportion of one such shaft,- forming part of a cooling bed which mayinclude many shafts of this type, is illustrated in side elevation, thesupporting pedestals, the worksupporting members, and the means forshielding the shaft from the heat and the worksuperposed upon suchmembers, being shown in section.

The` shaft just referred to is indicated at I0 inthe drawings, ishorizontally disposed, and may be as long as needed, means (notillustrated) be ing positioned adjacent one end' c-f the vshaft andoperatively connected thereto for slowly revolving the shaft in onedirection of rotation. At spaced intervals the shaft passes throughbearings, indicated at II inthe drawing, which bearings are supportedupon the upper ends of pedestals I2, the base of each pedestal restingupon a suitable foundation. Encircling shaft I0 are a series ofwork-supporting members I3, there being aplurality of such membersbetween each pair of adjacent bearings II and each member preferablybeing formed as an annular disk with a cylindrical work-engaging surfaceI3' and a central hub I32 encircling shaft I0, the inner cylindricalsurface of theV hub engaging .the shaft rather closely, but the hubbeing freely slidable longitudinally on the shaft at all times. Themembers I3 are rotatable with the shaft, however, being splined thereto.Each hub I32 is provided with two annular shoulders I33 upon oppositesides thereof and upon the ends of these shoulders are seated the endsof the cylindrical heat-shielding members I Il, the shoulders I33 beingconcentric with the axis of shaft II) and the heat-shielding members I 4being, therefore, supported in concentric relation to the shaft. Theouter ends of the outermost members I4, however, are supported uponannular abutment members I5 and I6, respectively, abutment I5 beingpinned to the shaft by a pin I'I and abutment I6 being slidably mountedupon the shaft and splined thereto, as are the hubs of thework-supporting members I3. That Work-supporting member I3 which ispositioned intermediate abutment I6 and the adjacent bearing II, isshown to have an enlarged hub which is pinned to the shaft III by meansof a pin I8 so as to rotate with the shaft. The pin I8, of course, holdsthis member against longitudinal movement on the shaft. Intermediate theenshaft I0. A plate resting upon the Work-supportingv right-handabutment I5 Which is pinned to the members I3, and other work-supportingmembers I3 which are not illustrated lbut which comprise portions of thecooling bed, is indicated at"2" in chain lines.

This plate when received on theY cooling bed may be assumed to be in ahighly heated condition and, by radiation from its undersurface, a largeamount of this heat escapes downwardly and would ordinarily betransmitted directly to and absorbed by the shaft I il. rBecause of theinterpositioning of the heat-shielding elements Ill, however, the shaftIll is largely protectedV and becomes only slightly heated, never beingheated tosuch an extent that it iscaused to warp or become distorted.Naturally, the heatshielding elements I4 will expand when the `coolingbed is rst placed in use and these elements rstbecome heated and topermit this expansion thehorizontal column of hubs and heat-shieldingelements is rigidly conflnedfonly at :one end, i. e., by the annularmember i5, and is yieldably conned at theopposite end, by theresiliently supported annular member i 6. When the use of the bed isdiscontinued likewise a very considerable contraction of these partswill occur and the spring I9 will expand, taking up any looseness orplay which would otherwise be present. -The heat-shielding members maybe formed of ysuit able materials, metal if desired, or substanceshaving less capacity to transmit heat, rif thought to be necessary.Other forms of the linvention slidably and non-rotatably mounted on saidshaft, a'plurality of heat shielding and element spacing tubular membersencircling the shaft, one such shield being interposed between each twoelements with'its ends mounted on such elements and its inner surfacespaced from the surface of `the shaft, and resilient means for exertingpressure axially of the shaft to maintain tight engagement between saidelements and shields at all times. c

2. I nja cooling bed or the like; in'combination;a shaftmounted .forrotation, a plurality of. spaced annular work-supporting andA advancing:elements slidably and non-rotatably mounted on said shaft, a pluralityof heat shieldingand element spacing tubularmembers encircling theshaft, one'such shield beinginterposed betweengeach two 'ele'-A mentswith its endsjmoul'lted on such elements and its inner surfacefspacedfrom Vthe surfaceot the shaft, and means for exerting pressure axiallyof the 'shaft Yto maintain tight engagement between4 said `elementsandshields atall` times, said means including an abutment secured to theshaft airone endof the `series of elements and members, aislidingabutment adjacent thereto, one end of a heat shielding tube beingsupported onsald abutmema,` an expansion spring interposedfbetween saidfixed and sliding abutments, and a s third abutment, at the oppositevend of :the series maybe readily devised, as will beiapparent lto i ofelements and members for flimitings'liding. movement `thereof 'along`theishaft .under the. in-y iluenceof said spring; v

' ERIK` W. MIKAELSON.

